UTSA summer camps engage young students

(June 9, 2008)--UTSA will offer a variety of camps for young children and teens throughout the summer including athletics, archaeology, cheer and dance, science, engineering, mathematics and music. The camps provide middle and high school students the opportunity for intensive study, personal growth, guidance and practice.

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NASA Astronaut Bernard Harris, the first African-American to perform a spacewalk, will present the two-week Summer Science Camp for area students who will enter grade six, seven or eight this fall. In the camp, students will study natural science, engineering, mathematics and technology. Harris willl visit the camp to speak on the importance of education and believing in one's dreams.

UTSA also will serve as host for the Governors' Science and Technology Champions Academy, which is sponsored by the Office of the Governor. Students atttending the academy will be immersed in engineering, physics, chemistry and mathematics while learning about the fluids in the Earth's crust. Additionally, they will participate in a contest and construct robots that will be put through a variety of tasks in competition. Registration for the academy is limited to the first- and second-place winners of the ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair.

The series of day camps for ages 7-12 at the Center for Archaeology Research will give young students a chance to work with UTSA archaeologists in hands-on activities including learning about underwater archaeology, analyzing artifacts and participating in a mock dig.

Some students will participate in music camps in band, choir, flute or piano/strings, while others join "Texas Trails and Tales" at UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures for a look a pioneer life.

"These camps are just one way that UTSA continually reaches into the community to inspire students," said David Gabler, UTSA associate vice president for communications and marketing. "Rather than let kids sit bored in front of a television screen this summer, we want to engage them and introduce them to topics and subjects that will shape their futures."

While many camps will be held at the university's 1604 and Downtown campuses, others will be at venues and locations throughout the city. Camps differ in admission requirements (if any), fees (if any) and length.